日本 2015: Universal Studios Japan

Last hurrah. Universal Studios Japan, late night dinner and a flight back to Manila.

TIPS

There will be a lot of people in the theme park (this is a real tip I’m serious). I think it’s because many of the students and whatever have annual passes already, so they could all go together after school or work every other day, idk. The point is that there’s a lot of competition in terms of getting tickets to Universal Studios (they bar entry when the park has already reached capacity) and to the specific rides.

We made sure to buy tickets before getting there —otherwise, best case scenario, you’d have to line up for an eternity and miss the chance to ride a lot of attractions later on. Universal Studios tickets can be purchased online or at select JR ticketing booths (just ask a tourist info personnel).

Lastly, make sure to run the moment the gates are open and head over to the timed ticketing area for the Wizarding World (otherwise you may not even get in!)

Day 10

THEME PARKS Universal Studios Japan

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Here comes the Amazing Spider-man!!! Some pamphlet or the other said that this ride is the best in USJ, and apparently it’s been awarded best dark or indoor ride for several years now. It was really, really fun.

What was not so fun: waiting for an hour because of a technical malfunction. We were so close to our turn (we were literally the next batch) when some difficulty happened. But everyone was so chill about it, so that even though no one was announcing anything (in english, at least), we still waited patiently.

The wait was worth it.

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And here comes the main event: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!! My sister and I have been in love with HP since we were in elementary. Harry Potter changed my life many ways.

We ended up going home with a wand (my mother’s), several souvenirs, and a small luggage for me. I’m still not sure if I regret not buying a broomstick… joking. I’m more in conflict about that Ravenclaw scarf.

Tip #1: Once you leave the Wizarding World, you can never go back the same day. So the ideal time to get a timed ticket is in the afternoon, so that you could spend the rest of your stay in Universal Studios in the Wizarding World (until closing time).

Tip #2: Don’t expect something super magical from the Butterbeer.

Tip #3: Maybe wear actual robes? So that when it’s your turn in Ollivander’s shop, there’s a higher likelihood of you going home with a free wand!

Tip #4: There’s also a performance by Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students at around 7PM or so, so try not to miss that!

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It was just really funny, seeing your favorite stars and characters speaking in dubbed Japanese. Most of these shots are from the walking castle tour.

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Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey! Another ride to beat anything else I’ve ever gone on. It’s another indoor reality experience sort of thing, but the cool thing about it is that the technical design and immersive quality really made me feel some vertigo, excitement, horror… most notably without those bulky 3D glasses.

Really fun!

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We also watched this Magical Lights Parade or something as the theme park closed. It was amazing!!! I felt like such a kid, at awe with all the lights and characters and singing. A lot of my favorites were featured: Alice, Jasmine…

I’ll try to update this post with more pictures, if I remember to get them from my mother’s phone. It was an excellent end to a wonderful day.

FOOD Yoshinoya

At this point, my phone had died. But the food was good.

Day 11

Departure

There we go. Eleven days can fly by quite quickly.

Someday I’ll go back to Japan. Maybe in 5, 10, 15 years. Who knows.

I hope you enjoyed reading through these posts as much as I enjoyed living through the experience!